Sunday, November 22, 2009

ONGOING COVERAGE: SPOKANE RIVER RAFT & PADDLE EXPEDITION

Making the journey - trip participants

More than 100 people will participate in the Spokane River Forum's trip, paddling or rafting on various parts of the river. Here are three who intend to travel the river's entire length.

July 13, 2008

Age: 59

Personal: Retired from Alpine Lumber Co., which she and a business partner sold last fall. Counts hiking and cycling among her hobbies.

Paddling experience: Has a few whitewater rafting trips under her belt.

Reason for going: "I've lived here in Sandpoint for 30-plus years, but I've never traveled on the Spokane River. … I thought it would be fun to go with a group of people to get my confidence up."

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Favorite place on the Spokane River: "Visually, I would just say that Spokane Falls in the city is a beautiful spot."

Age: 47

Personal: Co-founder of Klundt-Hosmer, a visual communications firm in Spokane. His four children include 9-year-old triplets. Lives in a straw bale house. Enjoys natural history and the outdoors. "I'm an Eagle Scout from way back."

Paddling experience: Whitewater rafting; sea kayaking near Vancouver Island; and paddling on local lakes.

Reason for going: "I'm familiar with the Spokane River, of course, but I've never experienced it from the source to its confluence with the Columbia. … I only know it in little pieces."

Favorite place on the Spokane River: "I really like the spot where the Little Spokane joins the Spokane River. I don't think it has changed too much since European settlement. … When I look at the rimrock, I'm seeing what the trappers and traders would have seen."

Age: 35

Personal: Manager of the Spokane Tribe's water and fish program. Father to five kids. Briefly studied computer science before earning dual degrees in fisheries and wildlife management. "I didn't want to sit in front of a computer all day." Bow hunter.

Paddling experience: "I grew up next to the Weiser River and I was canoeing even when I was too little to be out there." Very familiar with the Salmon River, but "I've never done the Bowl and Pitcher" on the Spokane River.

Reason for going: "The Spokane Tribe has a lot of concerns with water quality in the river. … The opportunity to meet people and hear from a variety of different perspectives will be very valuable. It eases future working relationships."

Favorite place on the Spokane River: "The upper river because of its clear flowing water over the large boulders. Specific location? I don't know where it was, but it was unhindered by a dam and was quite cold, even for a hot summer day."